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Detroit Pistons legend Chauncey Billups made the Hall of Famer play “the right way”

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GLENDALE, Ariz. — Portland Trail Blazers coach and former Detroit Pistons guard Chauncey Billups lives by the saying, “If it ain’t hard, it ain’t hard.” This phrase was stitched into his Adidas game shoes during his 17-year NBA profession.

Billups can be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday has been officially announced before the NCAA Men’s Final Four games. He said his journey from Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood to the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., wasn’t easy and at one point was fraught with uncertainty.

Billups was chosen third overall in the 1997 NBA draft by the University of Colorado’s Boston Celtics. Then-coach Ricardo Patton remembered Billups as a young man who wanted to achieve the league.

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“He was hungry early on. I think he set some lofty goals for himself at a very young age,” Patton said. Some players just need to get into the league. Chauncey never wanted to simply get there. He desired to help the team succeed and reach the pinnacle of the championship game. He wanted to depart his mark, his mark.”

Billups was the first overall draft pick under Rick Pitino in Boston. The Celtics traded him midway through his rookie season to the Toronto Raptors. The transition from Colorado to the league was not smooth.

Billups had turn into accustomed to dominating talent in his area, but joining a league with larger and smarter talent proved to be an issue. The former shutout spent the early years of his NBA profession as a journeyman, playing for 4 teams over five seasons and trying to seek out his way in the league.

“My fight just happened. It wasn’t anyone’s fault,” Billups said. “I worked hard. I put everything I could into it. I just wasn’t ready. It wasn’t like the coach hated it or anything, I just wasn’t quite ready. I needed work. I had to go back to the drawing board… I was performing poorly results and they had a lot of big, difficult expectations placed on me that I didn’t meet, so whatever they took as truth.”

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Boston Celtics draft picks Ron Mercer (left) and Chauncey Billups (right) showcase their latest jerseys on June 26, 1997 in Boston.

Frank O’Brien/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Amid uncertainty and increasing talk of being a draft bust, Billups identified weaknesses in his game. He worked along with his longtime coach Joe Abunassar to enhance his grip and decision-making, and likewise worked on ways to create space to shoot. The presence of experienced leaders Terrell Brandon and Sam Mitchell while Billups was with the Minnesota Timberwolves helped lay the foundation for the rest of his profession.

“Those guys got into me, so it wasn’t just me and my coach. So many people were trying to get me to do this,” Billups said. “That’s one of the reasons I was able to make this change.”

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When Billups signed with the Detroit Pistons for the 2002-03 season, it finally worked. The former journeyman established himself as a starter and his shooting skills earned him the nickname “Mr. A giant deal.”

“When I got to Detroit, I was finally ready to lead and understand the game (and) understand how to play the position,” Billups said. “I used to be ready then. Once I got there, I just never looked back. That was the end. I figured it out.”

Patton believed that in Detroit, Billups had a lineup that matched the hunger he had seen in the teenage Colorado product nearly a decade earlier.

“One of the things I remember, or I remember him saying, was that there were players on the team that were hungry, players that maybe were struggling in other areas or with other teams,” Patton said. “They had a group of players who were all on the same page in terms of going out to prove they were worthy.”

In his first season with the Pistons, Billups recorded a brand new career-high of 16.2 points. Being part of a Pistons roster consistent with Billups’ personality, he believes the blue-collar mentality in the city is ingrained in the team.

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“Let’s go to work. We’ve done everything we can, (then) we’re going home. There’s no glitz, no shine, no nothing,” Billups said. “Well, that’s what Detroit is all about; that’s what Detroit is all about this city (and) the fan base. It was just the perfect mix. That’s who Ben Wallace was as our leader when I got there, that’s who I am. So it was just a perfect marriage.”

Detroit Pistons guard Chauncey Billups was named NBA Finals MVP following Game 5 of the 2004 NBA Finals on June 15, 2004, at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Andy Hayt/NBAE via Getty Images

The highlight of his profession got here during his sophomore 12 months when the Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 in the NBA Finals to win their third NBA championship. This was Billups’ first and only NBA title, and he was named NBA Finals MVP.

“I was very proud that I wanted to show people the chip that I always played with, but I was very proud that I wanted to show people who I could be, so I wanted to win the championship,” Billups said. “I didn’t even care about Finals MVP, I just wanted to be able to lead my team to prove not only to myself but to the whole world that I would be who I said I would be. So that’s what it was for me.”

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Billups’ induction makes him the second Pistons player from the 2004 championship team to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining Ben Wallace, who was a member of the class of 2021. Billups is also joined by Vince Carter, a member of the 1998 NBA draft class. , players Seimone Augustus, Michael Cooper, Walter Davis, Dick Barnett and Michele Timms; coaches Charles Smith, Harley Redin and Bo Ryan; broadcaster/coach Doug Collins; and owner Herb Simon.

In the six years since he became eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2018, this was Billups’ first 12 months as a finalist. He had been following the process for the past few years, but was never quite sure whether he would turn into a member of the Hall of Fame. Billup’s confidence grew when he became a finalist this 12 months. His introduction got here as no surprise to Patton.

“There was certainly no question in the minds of people who watched him play that he deserved to be a Hall of Famer,” Patton said.

After the results were announced in Glendale, Billups planned to fly to Boston to rejoin the Trail Blazers for Saturday’s game against the Celtics in the city where his skilled profession began. In the 27 years since he joined the league, he has amassed a protracted list of life lessons that he has passed on to his players.

“It’s something I actually have to show them backwards. For example, a man will start going through a difficult period, he’ll fight, or this is occurring, or this is occurring. That’s after I can talk over with them a couple of bit of my journey because I do not discuss myself as a player,” Billups said.

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“This is my team and I promised myself that when I take over (and) start coaching, I will never talk about myself and what I have done. Anyway, I’m not that type of person. But I think what I went through is very valuable in certain situations when these guys go through it, and that’s part of why I wanted to do it, because I know I have so much and I’ve been through so much. very much that I can help so many of these guys. So I just pick my spots and when I try to give them that. I know it can help them.”

During his 17 seasons in the NBA, from 1997 to 2014, Billups was a five-time All-Star, a two-time All-NBA Defensive Team member and a three-time All-NBA Player. He played in 1,043 games with the Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks and LA Clippers, ending with profession averages of 15.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists.

“We will not win a third NBA championship without Chauncey’s leadership,” former Pistons guard and Hall of Famer Joe Dumars said in an announcement. “When the ball was in his hands, you just knew he was going to make the right play.”

Billups said all the things he’s completed in sports has been by playing the right way.

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“I wasn’t chasing stats, otherwise I’m going to get 35, average 25 and 10,” Billups said. “I wasn’t that player. Most people don’t think they will achieve their goals, earn a living, get this and that if they only play the right way.

“When I say ‘play the right way’, I’m playing for my team. I didn’t play to get the All-Star game (or) on the cover. I played to win and make my teammates better. By doing this, I achieved All-Star status. Playing this way, I won the championship. Now I’ve made the Hall of Famer play this way. Whether it got me into the Hall of Fame or not, I just found solace in playing that way.”

This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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Jalen Milroe can follow the Jalen path in NFL

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Star Black playmakers aren’t any longer an exception – they’re the rule. Throughout the entire football season, this series will discover the importance and influence of black QB from bottom -up to NFL.


Indianapolis-keep me, should you heard it earlier: playmaker Alabama born in Texas, who’s a stronger runner than a passerby, will probably be called outside the first round of the NFL Draft.

The playmaker was undefeated in Sec as a primary -year starter.

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The playmaker never played for the same offensive coordinator.

The name of the playmaker is even Jalen.

But it isn’t clear that Jalen hurts. This winter he was busy winning the Super Bowl MVP, and he didn’t play Iron Bowl or against Michigan.

Instead, it’s a former playmaker of Crimson Tide Jalen Milroewho last week Combine Combine tried to convey the case to the trainers and evaluators that he – like his namesake – is price being their playmaker franchise in the future despite questions on his ability.

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“I went through adversity. I saw everything as a quarterback, “Milroe said on Friday. “I played at the most difficult conference in the country. It would be easier to play at other conferences, but what I could see in Sec catapulted me that I was ready to play NFL. “

Alabama, Jalen Milroe, talks to the media during the NFL mix at the Lucas Oil stadium on February 28 at Indianapolis.

Justin Casterline/Getty Images

Departing from Katy in Texas, she originally got involved in Texas in 2019, but a 12 months later she fell to Alabama. After he was sitting behind the Crimson Tide Starter Bryung for 2 seasons, Milroe took his reins in the 2023 season. He helped Alabama survive Sec (8-0) this 12 months, won by the conference rival and two-time defender Georgia in the SEC championship, which caused Crimson Tide to the play-off collection.

But while Milroe had a big arm (his 10 yards for the test took third place in Sec in 2023), the pass was not his strong suit. For two seasons as a starter Milroe never achieved 3000 yards in one season, the first starter of Alabama, who did it because it … hurts.

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Hurts, from Houston, led Crimson Tide to the National National Championships in 2016–17, but during these two seasons were lower than 5,000 yards. While Hurts was a singular Rusher (1,809 yards and 21 sticks) at the moment, his weakness as a passerby is known for led to the spare Tua Tavailoa during the break of the national championships in 2017.

In the mix, Milroe decided that despite his pedestrian passes, he was still worthy of being a start at NFL.

He is aware of his weaknesses and swore that he worked in the ass to enhance outside being “one dimension.” He could move when his legendary trainer, Nick Saban, retired after the 2023 season, but decided to not fall off. He traveled six miles a day to ensure that that something was left in the fourth quarter in the fourth quarter. He studied progression and reads after I-SNAP to lift his IQ in football.

Unlike the forecast sorts of the first round, Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, Milroe threw a mix on Saturday, hoping that he would show the bands that he has mechanics to do that to the playmaker NFL. It turned out to be a mixed bag. Milroe showed strong arm strength and a very good location of sail routes, curls and it while throwing exercises, but fought accuracy on intermediate and on the routes.

“That’s so many things that I can learn more where I am today and where I will be when it comes to day 1, starting with NFL,” said Milroe before Saturday exercises. “Always be a game student, at all times attempt to develop, because it would be so many opportunities in which I can look back and say that it was the moment after I grew up as a playmaker.

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“That’s right now, I’m just trying to grow as much as possible, put my best foot forward and just look for development.”

Jalen Milroe warms up during seniors training at the Hancock Whitney stadium on January 29 at Mobile, Alabama.

Derick E. Hingle/Getty Images

Milroe was asked that he was one other playmaker in Alabama to succeed in the mix, following in the footsteps of the role (who moved to Oklahoma in 2019), Tavailoa, Mac Jones and Bryce Young. Milroe said he appreciates being in the company of others, but he added that it’s difficult to check him with others.

“We had different bands, we had different players around us, we had a different system,” he said.

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But when he specifically asked what he could study the journey of Hurts-from the first manager of the game after the super Bowl-Milroe master said he inspired him his companion Alabam.

“The most important thing I learned from J. Hurts is how he kept his head (I) always continued to work,” said Milroe. “He at all times raised his game, he has never been self -deserved, and all the pieces you see is great progress from him.

“And I have to applaud him as a person, he as a man, because he is definitely inspiring for many playmakers of my image, as well as many playmakers throughout the country. He leads to all of us. “

The couple isn’t completely similar. Hurts had about 20 kilos on Milroe when he was in college. Milroe has a stronger arm, while Hurts played more and not using a mistake of football: Milroe threw 17 interceptions and ate 67 bags for 2 seasons as a starter in comparison with 10 captures Hurts and 43 bags.

But they can each be changing the game when their teams need them. In a highly publicized match against Georgia at the starting of the last season, Milroe finished almost 82% of his passes on 374 yards and two appointments, adding 117 yards to the ground for the next two results.

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Milroe can also match the wounds in the so -called “Jalen-ISMS. “

“Climbing upstairs is not easy, but when you reach the top of this mountain, you will learn so many things when it comes to adversity when it comes to difficulties, things along the way,” said Milroe in a mix.

Martenzie Johnson is an older author for Andcape. His favorite film moment is that Django said: “You all want to see something?”

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This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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Like Tommie Smith and John Carlos from 1968. Black Power Salute inspired me to find my goal

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I’d say that I grew up within the household to be sure that that me and my siblings were aware of the black history. My parents invested in the gathering of black encyclopedias. On the duvet we had a version of the Bible with Black Jesus. Our house was stuffed with books of black novelists and thinkers, and if a black document appeared, we watched it. I watched all movies made on television about Dr. King, each “Roots” and “Alex Haley’s Queen” and I sat for all 14 hours “Eyes on the reward”-as a toddler. Bless my heart.

Having said this, there have been pockets of black history, and more likely that I had no opportunity to delve into once I was a toddler. The college was where all the will for information and understanding of the combined. I attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., One of a very powerful historically black universities within the country. It was there that I met people from around the globe whose knowledge about black history differed (often depending on the colleges and the communities by which we lived), but everyone had hunger to learn more.

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One day, through the first yr, I remember one among my friends in a T -shirt by which I had definitely seen before, but I never paid attention to. There was a black and white screen printing on the shirt (what I do know now) the enduring moment on the Olympic Games in Mexico in 1968, where on the rostrum for 200-meter medals, Tommie Smith, John Carlos (races 1. And 3. Place Finaners) Everyone gathered a black fist in gloves while he played “Star Spangled Banner”. Peter Norman, the second place from Australia, wore a human rights badge, like Smith and Carlos.

Not only did they raise the fist of black power (although they each said it was for human rights), they received medals in black socks to represent poverty within the black community, and Smith wore a black scarf for black pride. Carlos showed solidarity with blue-wheeled employees, unpacking the jacket and wore a necklace from the beads for individuals who were lynched. Due to the state of Black America in 1968 and a continuing struggle for equality and civil rights, there have been calls to a boycott of the Games. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was also killed in April this yr – and all three athletes were inspired enough to find a way to do it on the rostrum, which led to one of the crucial durable images of public protest.

I remember how I learned history and realized that on the most important scene these brave men used their moment of triumph and victory to quietly protest against the conditions of underrated communities in America. I felt strengthened; We often discuss standing on the arms of giants, however the more I got into the history of black in America, the more I spotted what number of giants there have been. In college I used to be very bad and for a while ready to burn every part that represented the establishment or any obstacle to black liberation. I felt like all those individuals who even saw their space on the planet in reference to individuals who could never give you the option to speak as heroes whose lives were to be modeled later. Especially since it was also fastidiously that putting people in front of him can often bring an enormous personal loss.

When Smith and Carlos took their position, they were booed on the stadium and ordered to be sent home by the International Olympic Committee. The athletes returned home, but they weren’t welcomed by the hero, but as a substitute of rough sleds, and even in some cases the specter of death. They were also not beloved by athletes. Two men, associated eternally in history, even have a good relationship –Carlos even claims that he let Smith go within the race Because “Tommie Smith would never put his fist in the sky if I won this race,” the claim that Smith denies.

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History ultimately has a way of rights, but it surely took a few years and realizations on the front of social policy, in order that the actions of those persons are perceived as brave and needed, not only selfish and smug.

The lessons that I learned from College and continuous reading and education I gained (my head remained within the book about black history) were one among the best advantages in HBCU. The very variety of books I learned about about which I actually have never heard of – I actually have upheld me all my life.

That is why I remember sooner or later I used to be walking around Washington, the eastern Washington market and a street seller was selling different photos of moments in black history, and he had a 40 -inch photo within the Tommie Smith and John Carlos frame. I paid for it in money and spent it across the capital of the country until I returned home. I do know that it happened in 2005 (I finished Morehouse College in 2001) because I just moved to my first apartment with no roommate and it was the very first thing that I actually have ever suspended on the wall. This picture within the frame still hangs on the wall in my home in 2025 and I used it to teach my children about sacrifice and privilege and how you may have to discuss individuals who cannot.

Teenage students of Stax Music Academy Mark 25th anniversary, black history month with a concert

The query that my youngest children often ask: “How do I know who can’t speak for herself?” Which is an incredible query. For this I answered an easy fact, pointing to the photo:

“These men have made a gesture that gave people whose most of us, including them, would never see or never know them, but on which life negatively affects the alternatives of the wealthy and the federal government. Sometimes you may have to take this chance to say something because you do not know in the event you’ll ever have such a big platform.

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Son, there may be at all times someone who cannot speak for himself, and you may have to use it in a voice, because perhaps the thing you say or a stand that can help someone you understand, live a greater life. ”

I take advantage of words that may understand a little bit higher, but I can inform you that my children have a look at this photo on a regular basis, and once one among my sons said: “These guys are heroes, right?”

I say yes, they’re. They are the heroes of the Black History.

They will live eternally for speaking, and even quietly, in solidarity with those that couldn’t.

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Panama Jackson Thegrio.com

(Tagstranslate) @Ap

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Main Treasury Official Morgan State University, Sterling Steward, died

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Morgan State University, Sterling Steward


Morgan State University announced that his older associate athletics director and tax director, Sterling Steward, died.

No reason for death was disclosed, but the college has confirmed his contribution since he was employed in December 2022.

Steward died on February 26. In Morgan State he was accountable for the event of university programs, supporting partnerships and strengthening the financial and operational success of the Faculty.

“Sterling was more than a colleague-he was a respected leader, mentor and friend,” said in a written statement by Den Freeman-Patton, vice chairman and director of inter-university athletes. “His passion for athletics and commitment to raising Morgan programs were visible in everything he did. He worked tirelessly to ensure that our sports students had resources and the possibilities of distinction, and its impact will be felt for many years. We expand our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones, especially his three sons and sister when we mourn this huge loss. “

While the steward worked in Morgan, strategic growth and cooperation occurred. His work with the institutional development department helped to offer more opportunities and created lasting relationships to support sports programs.

Steward earlier he worked At the University of New Orleans (UNO) as an assistant to the college athletics director for strategic income generation. He also made stays on the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Savannah State University, Mississippi Valley State University, Alabama State University, Kentucky State University, Eastern Oregon University and Xavier University in various roles, including for a senior consultant athletics director and sports director.

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He was from New Orleans, who received the title of bachelor and master’s degree on the University of Southern Mississippi. He won a bachelor’s degree in the sphere of coaching and administration/history of sport and his master’s degree in the sphere of sport management.

(Tagstransate) Morgan State Universiry

This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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